Dear Mr Taylor, I write in response to the extract from your sermon preached at St Helen’s Bishopsgate on 10 September 2026, subsequently published under the title “Responding to false teachers in the Church of England”. I do so from several connected positions. I am the City of London Corporation’s appointed representative in relation to… Continue reading If the bishops are false teachers, why does St Helen’s Bishopsgate remain in the Church of England? – an open letter to William Taylor
Tag: LGBTQ
Dolly Parton: Faith, Freedom and a Life of Generosity
I was deeply saddened yesterday to hear of the death of Dolly Parton at the age of 80. Seeing her film 9 to 5 as a child in the 80s was probably the first time I encountered the singer/songwriter and it was also an early influence on my being a feminist and having a distaste… Continue reading Dolly Parton: Faith, Freedom and a Life of Generosity
Jesus, Justice and the radical politics of Love
Having spent much time recently thinking and writing about my politics and also about my faith, I have been considering how the two intersect and how they inform each other. This is especially so as I find that my Christian faith has influenced my move to the left politically, which contrasts sharply with those on… Continue reading Jesus, Justice and the radical politics of Love
Women’s Sport is rising. Now the rest of us must raise our game
It is time to recognise that the threats to women’s sport are invisibility, underinvestment, inequality, abuse, and exclusion from power (and not trans people’s participation). As the City of London’s Lead Member for Sport I spent 24-hours this week at the Global Summit on Women & Sport in Birmingham, which the City was proud to… Continue reading Women’s Sport is rising. Now the rest of us must raise our game
Pride matters more than ever
Every year, around this time, somebody asks whether Pride is still necessary. It is a question that usually comes from one of two places. Sometimes it is asked in good faith by people who look around them and see same-sex marriage, openly LGBTQ+ public figures, rainbow lanyards in workplaces, and Pride flags flying above civic… Continue reading Pride matters more than ever
Protecting women’s sport: a line drawn too bluntly – my message to the IOC President
Sport must safeguard participants and ensure equity and fairness, but this must be done based on science and fact and not as a kneejerk reaction to political or cultural pressure. Today I have written to Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee, whom I deeply admire and whose election I celebrated just over a… Continue reading Protecting women’s sport: a line drawn too bluntly – my message to the IOC President
A Church living without love: the CofE’s failure to include LGBTQ+ Christians
Yesterday I sat in the public gallery at Church House and watched the Church of England step back from the modest, careful and prayerful work of Living in Love and Faith, which was meant to move towards providing a loving Christian welcome for LGBTQ+ people in England’s established Anglican faith. I left feeling numb. Not… Continue reading A Church living without love: the CofE’s failure to include LGBTQ+ Christians
Trans inclusion: what the law says and what it does not say
There is currently a great deal of noise, heat, and misinformation about what the law requires when it comes to trans inclusion in single-sex services and organisations. Much of it is being driven by a highly organised and aggressive campaign by Sex Matters, which has taken to threatening legal action against a wide range of… Continue reading Trans inclusion: what the law says and what it does not say
Hampstead Heath Ponds: A clear Judgment. A clear voice from London. And a clear path forward.
This morning’s High Court judgment refusing the judicial review application brought by Sex Matters against the City of London Corporation is an important moment for common sense, good governance, and decency. At the same time, the publication of the Corporation’s consultation on future access to the Hampstead Heath bathing ponds tells a powerful and hopeful… Continue reading Hampstead Heath Ponds: A clear Judgment. A clear voice from London. And a clear path forward.
A Church still afraid to Love
The House of Bishops has issued yet another statement on Living in Love and Faith (LLF), the Church of England’s years-long programme of exploration to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people. The statement, in essence an admission of the abject failure of LLF, is long, careful, heavily footnoted, and saturated in the language of process,… Continue reading A Church still afraid to Love
